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 Tweed
Courthouse
52 Chambers Street
New York, NY 10007
Date Built: 1861-1881
Architect:
John Kellum (1809-1871) and Leopold Eidlitz (1823-1908)
"…
one of the city’s grandest and most important civic monuments."
-- NYC
Landmarks Preservation Commission, in its 1984 designation
decision
The old New York County Courthouse, commonly known as
Tweed Courthouse, is located on the north side of City Hall Park, behind City Hall,
on Chambers Street between Centre Street and Broadway.
The courthouse was the first permanent
government building erected by the City after the completion of City Hall.
The building is notable not only for the unparalleled artistry of its design and decoration, but also for its association
with one of New York’s greatest political scandals.
The three and one-half story building
sits on a low granite curb with a rusticated marble basement. The building
is composed of a central section with two projecting wings, with an
addition in the center on the south facade. The entrance is marked by a
pedimented portico supported by four Corinthian columns. The windows have
arched and flat stone pediments. There is a massive stone cornice and an octagonal
skylight at the roof, replacing a planned dome.
 The architectural
style of the Tweed Courthouse is American Victorian, a neo-classical
style popular in the U.S. during the 19th century. A major feature is its
interior octagonal rotunda, which is capped by a skylight. The rotunda extends
from the first floor to the roof. On the east and west
sides of the rotunda are sets of cast iron stairs that run
from the first to the third floors. The "marble" pillars on these
floors are really made of plaster and the "wood" railings are
actually cast iron.
The exterior of the building
and sections of its interior -- the rotunda, stairhalls and staircases, rooms 201
and 202 (the latter, a former courtroom), and the skylight -- are
designated New York City landmarks.
The building’s architectural wonders are the
product of two prominent 19th century New York architects, John Kellum and Leopold Eidlitz.
Credit is also given to Thomas Little, a member of the New York
City Board of Supervisors, whose name appears with Kellum’s on a small
box placed beneath the cornerstone.
 Construction began
after the City of New York awarded a commission to design the building to
Long Island native John Kellum in December 1861. A carpenter and
self-taught architect, Kellum contributed to such historical
landmarks as the Cary Building (105-107 Chambers Street) and the Alexander T. Stewart mansion (5th
Avenue at 34th Street). Kellum set out to improve one of
New York City’s great historical sites, demolishing a large poorhouse while
clearing the crowded north side of City Hall Park.
Kellum died in 1871, and German
architect Leopold Eidlitz, notable for his work on the New York State
Capitol building, was hired in 1876
to finish the project. Eidlitz contributed important architectural ideas to the courthouse, including to the
south wing and the domed rotunda enclosing the central courtyard. He
added elements in the Romanesque style, especially in his use of
brick and stone which blended with Kellum’s cast-iron interiors.
The courthouse is the legacy of Tammany Hall boss William M.
Tweed (1823-1878), who used the construction project to embezzle large sums of
money from the budget. In 1873 “Boss” Tweed was tried and convicted in
an unfinished courtroom in this building and sentenced to 12 years in prison. Afterwards
construction proceeded at a very slow pace and it was not until 1881
that the courthouse was finally completed.
The New York County Supreme Court used the space
until 1929, and then the building housed the City Court until 1961, when
that court moved to 111 Centre Street. After that, the former courthouse
was used as a municipal office building.
In 1999,
an extensive two-year restoration began to return the building to
its original grandeur. Outside, marble cornices were replaced and leaf detail
on the Corinthian columns was rebuilt. A new roof was designed
to replicate the original, which was discovered to have been made of metal, and
skylights were restored. The grand entrance stairway, which had been removed during World
War II for the widening of Chambers Street, was rebuilt with the
addition of 17 new Vermont granite steps.
Inside successful efforts were made to use
original ventilation shafts in the building's walls, so that modern
heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems would intrude as little
as possible. As many as 18 layers of old paint were removed from walls and
cast iron, revealing both the detail in the cast iron, and the
multi-colored pattern of painting on the brick walls. This and other
historic painting schemes were replicated, and marble and glass-tile
floors were reconstructed.
Today the
building serves as the headquarters of the Department of Education.
In keeping with this use, the ground floor was configured for use by
public school students, first as a City Hall Academy
for visiting student groups, and later as a full-time school.
The building has been seen
in a number of film productions including The Verdict,
Dressed to Kill, Kramer vs. Kramer, and Gangs of New
York.
The courthouse was
designated as a New York City Landmark in 1984. It is also listed on
the New York State and National Registers of Historic
Places.
Links:
Photos by: Ralph
Selitzer, DCAS
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